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Columbus City Schools

An SIS that can stand the test of time.

Following their student information system’s (SIS) end-of-life, Columbus City Schools (CCS) researched the top systems available. The district’s non-negotiables were customization capabilities, top-of-the-line reporting, an accessible portal, and compliance with state reporting. Information Management Supervisor Jason Vance shared what sold CCS on Infinite Campus, how Premium Products are changing the game in school processes, and more.

What has been the best thing about the Campus SIS?

Jason: It’s constantly evolving – it doesn’t just sit there. Infinite Campus works on technological innovations to make it better for the end user year after year. Not letting the product be stagnant is a really big plus with Infinite Campus.

The student information system is all Campus does; they aren't trying to branch out into a hundred different businesses.

Jason Vance, Information Management Supervisor

Jason Vance, Columbus City Schools

Jason Vance, Information Management Supervisor

Describe your time at the bi-annual Ohio User Group.

Jason: Relationships are a big deal. What I’ve noticed while working in education, from a competitive standpoint, there really isn’t any. We’re on the same team; we’re all about educating kids. It doesn’t matter what district you’re in because we’re all pushing toward the same goal. When we talk to other districts, we work to help each other out as much as we can. Building those relationships is huge, and having the Ohio User Group enables us to do so. Also, having Infinite Campus facilitate these events and organize them is a key component to their success since we are spread out all over the state.

Having a central contact person, a Client Relationship Manager (CRM), has been very valuable. I can reach out anytime I need something, and the one-on-one attention is great!

Jason Vance, Information Management Supervisor

How would you rate Infinite Campus on fostering innovation?

Jason: We took our time to diligently review each student information system. When evaluating, we looked at all features and rated them. Our evaluation team included my support team, counselors, teachers, administrators, and secretaries. We quickly concluded that Infinite Campus checked all the boxes…and here we are. Every month, there’s always three or four enhancements, sometimes more, of various scopes that impact our district. Many of these enhancements come from customer feedback. Not only do they continue to innovate, but they continue to ask for feedback.

Anytime we can replicate the functionality of a third-party vendor within the SIS, it's a good thing...and a potential cost savings.

Jason Vance, Information Management Supervisor

Who benefits most from having many school functions exist in one platform?

Jason: I would say the biggest beneficiary is the district staff. One integrated system allows staff to stay focused without having to log in and out of multiple third-party systems. Anytime we can replicate the functionality of a third-party vendor within the SIS, it’s a good thing…and a potential cost savings.

Every month, there’s always three or four enhancements, sometimes more, of various scopes that impact our district. Many of these enhancements come from customer feedback. Not only do they continue to innovate, but they continue to ask for feedback.

Jason Vance, Information Management Supervisor

How has Infinite Campus impacted your parents and students? Have you seen increased engagement through the portal or mobile apps?

Jason: We help parents with setup right when they enroll and explain the importance of keeping up with their child’s education. With that said, our enrollment in Campus Parent has increased every year.

Phones and mobile apps have changed things – students and families are much more engaged because of the portal apps that connect them to their courses and teachers.

I would recommend Infinite Campus because...

Jason: For our district, Infinite Campus has so far stood the test of time. We are in the final three months of our 12th school year on Campus, and I have no reservations about our decision. In fact, I’m happy we’ve been able to implement a product we’re not only continuing to use, but we’re continuing to build upon it through customization and Campus Premium Products and Suites.

What would you tell other districts about Infinite Campus as a company?

Jason: The student information system is all Campus does; they aren’t trying to branch out into a hundred different businesses. Taking care of K12 education in the U.S. is pretty cool, and I don’t think there’s any other company like that.

I’ve worked with dozens of great support personnel at Infinite Campus who have been very helpful. I think that Charlie (Infinite Campus Founder and CEO) has created a positive work environment for his staff, and it shows in their customer support and relationships.

Jason, what Campus Premium Products and Suites have made a big impact on your district?

Online Registration

Online Registration

"Number one would have to be Online Registration. In the past, our Central Enrollment Building would have lines out the door and around the building to get students enrolled for the fall. We have moved to an enrollment system that can be done entirely online, and in many cases, without needing to come into the Central Enrollment Center. This would not be possible without the Online Registration tool. This has made a huge impact on the thousands of enrollments we process every year."

Online Registration

Campus Workflow Suite

"We are just starting to implement Campus Workflow Suite with about 22 schools currently scanning in for attendance, with more being trained through the end of the year. With the adoption of this suite in schools, our secretaries have quickly seen a substantial increase in efficiency. Without the need to manually enter data from paper logs, they save as much as 3-4 hours each day."

Campus Payments

"Online Payments has also been fantastic. Our treasurer has been advocating for us to become a cashless district. Online Payments has allowed us to get much closer to this goal. In addition, parents love the ability to easily go online and make any type of payment."

YES

Yearly Event Series

"Our team loves the Yearly Event Series (YES). From a support standpoint, we have several professional development days throughout the year, but most of the time it is us delivering the content; it doesn’t give us much time to learn ourselves. During the week when a new YES session drops, we use that time to learn too. We’re rolling it out to more and more folks in the district."